Does your parent group or organization need a speaker? Julie presents on the following topics and many others:

10 Things Parents Need to Know to Effectively Advocate for their Child

Julie will review and explain the essential "must-know" tips for any parent who has a child in special education. You will receive far more than 10 essential tips on effective parent advocacy.

Bullying and Kids with Disabilities: What Every Parent Needs to Know

Children with disabilities are at a greater risk to be bullied by their peers at school. You'll learn how to take a proactive approach with your school before your child becomes the perfect target and what to do if your child is being bullied.

Bullying and Social Discrimination: A Legal Analysis and Proactive Approaches for Home and School - Co-presented with Attorney Jennifer Laviano

Children with disabilities are at greater risk to be bullied by their peers at home, school and in the community. Families also experience social discrimination in public places when their child creates disturbances due to his/her disability. Julie and Jennifer discuss a proactive approach to avoid having the child become a target. Parents and school staff will learn effective strategies, what to do if a child is being bullied, information about state policies and training, legal obligations and implications and what to do if social discrimination occurs.

Transition: Working with the School to Plan Your Child’s Future

Parents are key players in their child's transition planning. Too often parents don’t come to understand appropriate Transition Planning until late in the game. Julie will teach parents what Transition is, what it isn't and how to plan for it before it becomes too late.

The Essential Elements of the PPT and IEP

Page-by-page, step-by-step, Julie will explain the PPT/ IEP document. Parents will leave with a clear understanding of the document and how it should be written for their child’s benefit and advantage.

How to Write SMART IEP Goals and Understand The Process Behind Writing Them

As a parent, you are a member of your child's Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team. That means that you can not only have input into developing the IEP goals, you can be a part of the process. Julie will teach parents all the steps that have to be taken before writing IEP goals, how to write them and understand everything you as a parents need to know about them.

Rethinking the Way we Speak about People with Disabilities

We commonly refer to people who use wheelchairs as “wheelchair-bound” when, in fact,

a person’s wheelchair is the very thing that provides them mobility and freedom. These accepted phrases, and hundreds more, are entrenched in our way of thinking. Julie will introduce parents to disability-friendly language and the disability rights movement.

Organizations Julie Swanson has presented to include:

Julie recently spoke at the 2008 NATTAP Confererence in Columbus, Ohio. Julie spoke with Attorney Jennifer Laviano on Bullying and Kids with Autism in our Schools. Visit the conference at http://www.nattapconference.org/

To contact Julie to speak at your organization, click on "contact Julie"